


The Sophie Chronicles--The Tuscany Job

by crayonbreakygal



Series: The Sophie Chronicles [4]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 22:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7241464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crayonbreakygal/pseuds/crayonbreakygal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nate needs Sophie's help. They may get in too deep.  Prequel.  Part of The Sophie Chronicles series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Job

**Author's Note:**

> Another part of the series. May not be the last one, but most definitely was the most significant one. This takes place around three years before Nate and Sophie met in Chicago for The Nigerian Job.

Chapter One—The Job

“Oh, bloody hell.”  Sophie sighed as she sat down on the chair in Nate’s hotel room.  “Are you serious?”

“I need your help, Sophie.  You owe me.”

“I owe you?”

“Well, you did shoot me.”

“You bloody well shot me, you wanker.”

Nate smiled her way.  He’d told her once that he loved it when she sounded so very British.  She could pull out even more choice words, but it wouldn’t change the situation.  He wanted her help.  He’d never asked for her help, even when he’d been shot. She had offered, pulled him after her, and helped get him fixed up.  In the end, he left her, she bolted from Paris as fast as she could and never looked back.

She ran, he chased.  Not that they hadn’t encountered one another after that.  They’d seen each other, bantered back and forth, sent each other postcards and letters, had dinner on several occasions even.  And then there was Russia.  She wouldn’t ever forget that adventure.  He’d asked her opinion on several cases that he knew she wasn’t ever going to touch with her grifting. 

“You’re the best choice for this job.”

Sophie turned her head to the side and looked Nathan Ford up and down, wondering how on earth he’d come to the conclusion that a thief could help him.  Maybe he’d been struck too many times on his head?

Dark suit, dark tie, pants a bit wrinkled, probably from running all over Tuscany, gathering evidence.  Even his face was a bit scruffy, like he’d been working for days and couldn’t take care of himself. Not like Nate at all.  This must be giving him fits not being able to solve it the way Nathan Ford could solve it.  At least she had no involvement in stealing that painting.  It would be very awkward indeed if she did.

“You surely know what I do for a living?”

Nate shook his head in amazement.  “Yeah,” he dragged out.  “That’s why I need an expert.  I’m thinking this guy is trying to pull a fast one on the company.  It just doesn’t add up.”

She didn’t know the guy at all. He wasn’t on her radar.  Whatever the man owned wasn’t important or the information hadn’t reached her.

Sophie stood up to pace. 

“So what are you thinking?  A long con?  Go in and infiltrate his staff?  Or I could somehow work him over, figure out what is up with him?”

“We don’t have time for a long con, Sophie.  I only have a week.”

“A week?  Are you kidding me?  That’s not even long enough for a short con.”

Sophie sighed, falling down onto the sofa in dramatic fashion.  Crossing her long legs, she looked directly at him, grinning as she did.

“You want to run the Mona Lisa?  Or the Bait and Switch?”

“Let’s just stick to the basics.  He doesn’t know who I am.  He probably doesn’t know who you are.”

“Of course he doesn’t know me.  Who do you want me to be?”

Nate swallowed at her statement.  She could be anything he’d want her to be, including his seducer, but that was never on the table.  Pulling off his tie swiftly, he sat down beside her, looking jet lagged.

“We could go in together or separately.  I just need help with this one.”

“Oh, I say together, darling.”

“There that is again.”

“Well, I am somewhat familiar with you, aren’t I? I actually slept with you.  You are such the snuggler.”

Nate’s eyes were blown wide as he slowly turned to look at her.  “Not why we are here.”

“I didn’t think that for a minute.  Past history and all.  Jilted lover, married couple who are fighting.  Any of those would work.”

“Do you have an idea?”

“Oh, I most certainly do.”

“Great.  So when do we start?”

“Tomorrow.  You’ll fall down asleep if you don’t go right to bed.  Jet lag will make you loopy and you’ll make mistakes.  Go, now.  I have work to do before we start this charade.”

Nate leaned back against the sofa, eyes closed.

“Thanks, Sophie.”

“You’ll owe me, you know that.”

“I know.”

“Go to bed, Nate.  A sofa is not a bed or have you not learned that.”

“My shoulder certainly has.”

“Bastard.”

“Not going to respond to that.”

Nate slowly pulled his lean frame up and over to the bed in the room.

“Oh, I should go.  Certainly wouldn’t want to watch you undress.”

“Very funny.”

“It was, particularly when you did that face plant onto my bed.”

“Go.”

Sophie made her way over to the door.  Nate watched her, hunger in his eyes.  He sometimes did that, probably thinking that she wouldn’t notice.  When would he ever learn?

“Nighty, night Nate.  I’ll be back for dinner.  Any preferences.”

“You pick.”

“Oh, goodie.”

 


	2. The Mark

Chapter Two—The Mark

Sophie acquired more knowledge about the mark while Nate was sleeping off the time change.  The mark was a collector, sure, but had no knowledge whatsoever in art.  He collected art with the shotgun method:  whatever was for sale at the time he’d buy. There was no rhyme or reason to his collecting.  Renaissance, Impressionist, Cubism, whatever was in front of him, he bought.  It made no sense. 

The item in question that was missing was a Caravaggio that he had acquired last year for a hefty sum.  It was a big piece too.  It would take more than one person to steal it and transport it.  It was worth more than most of Sophie’s scores.  She wondered why IYS insured it.  The piece indeed should have been in a museum.  Now she’d have to do more research on the piece in question.

The mark was easier to research though.  Mr. Weaver was not old money.  He was very, very new money, having acquired his wealth the old fashioned way:  the internet boom.  He’d sold out before the bust had happened though, enabling him to party across the globe.  Looking at a photograph of him, she could see the nerd in him, in addition to how much he thought of himself.  He was surrounded by beautiful women in the photo.  What some women do to hang onto a man of his caliber?  She would never have given him the time of day.  He didn’t run in her circles and never would.

Opening the door to Nate’s hotel room, she found him almost as she left him.  The only thing he’d taken off were his shoes and his jacket.  The shirt was unbuttoned somewhat though, showing a bit of skin.  He had his hands over his head, crossed at the top. Her fantasies of tying him up with his tie flashed through her head.  Then she’d strip him.  Enough, she thought.  She didn’t have the time nor the patience to think like that.

Setting the food bag down, she walked over to Nate and leaned against the bed.

“Nate, food,” she quietly said as she looked him over again.

“Go away,” he mumbled back.

“Pasta.  Italian.  Your favorite.”

He mumbled again, something like he’d get up in a minute, but he wasn’t moving.  Sitting down on the bed next to him, she leaned down to whisper in his ear, hoping that would get him moving.  Sophie never went for the yelling to get someone out of bed.  Besides, he might clock her if she frightened him.

“Darling, you just have to see what I brought you.”

Nothing.

“I changed into that very short skirt that you like.”

“That’s nice,” he said as he attempted to turn over, away from her.

Instead of leaving him alone, she slid her hands up his arms and pinned him.  His eyes popped open now, looking directly into her eyes.  He wasn’t frightened per se, just probably a bit turned on that she had done something like that.

“Sophie?”

“Yes, Nate.”

“What are you doing?”

“Waking you up.”

Nate looked down at her open blouse.

“Not what I’m thinking.”

“Oh, I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

And feeling if it was any indication.  His breathing had picked up, his face was flushed, and other things had woken up as her fingers lightly caressed his palms.

“I’m awake.”

“Nice way to wake up?”

“Your interpretation.”

“So, I brought dinner.”

Sophie abruptly stood up, straightened her skirt and walked over to the table to arrange the take out she had gotten. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Nate trying to pull himself together.  Oh how she loved to play with the man.

“Good.  I’m starving.”

Nate joined her after straightening his clothes and going to freshen up.  The wine was poured and the food actually still somewhat hot.  She’d even thought about dessert, although that was something she usually didn’t eat.  Italy had some wicked desserts.

“So what did you find out?” Nate asked as he finished his entrée.

“New money, likes to flash it around, thinks he’s god’s gift to women.  Not a serious collector, as you know.  I really don’t know how IYS got involved with this man.”

“Friend of Blackpoole’s.”

“Oh.  Otherwise, the man looks clean on the surface.  I couldn’t find anything on him other than him being somewhat of a sleaze.”

“Isn’t that enough?”

“Not exactly.  He’s never indicated that he knows how to play the game.”

“Great.  I thought this would be easy.”

Nate downed his wine in one gulp while Sophie politely sipped hers. He looked irritated.  She’d done her job.  Now he needed to do his.

“Then why do you think he’s attempting to scam IYS?”

“Hunch.  This isn’t the first piece that has gone missing.”

“The two modern art pieces?  They’re not worth that much, probably no more than a hundred thousand total.”

“But was someone just testing to see what IYS would do?”

“How long ago?”

Sophie grabbed the file that sat on the table between them.  Flipping through it, she watched Nate as she did it.  He certainly didn’t like that she was looking at confidential files.  She’d stolen several from him over the years though, even when he thought she was helping him.  Most of the time it was a game of hers.  Most of the time.

“Over a year?  So odd.  Oh, and another item six months ago? A piece of jewelry.  Worth approximately fifty K.  Hmm.  Curious.”

“What are you thinking?  I know what I’m thinking.”

“You tell me, Nate?”

Leaning over the table a bit, he looked her directly in the eyes.  “If it’s not him, then it’s one in his stable of hangers on.  Gotta be. Or she’s working for someone else.”

Sophie turned her head to the side, like she was studying him.  Only she was thinking.  Pulling the photo out of the file of the man and the three beauties surrounding him, Sophie’s eyes narrowed.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.  I should have seen this.”

“What?  Sophie, I’m lost here.”

“It’s not just one of them, it’s all three.”

She turned the file around so he could look at the photo again.

“They’ve been living with him for sixteen months.  It fits.”

“They must be a crew.  Girls like this work the long con.  I’ve seen it before, many times.  I tend to steer clear of these.  You can’t trust that one of them will turn you in.”

“You act like you know from experience.”

“No, a friend was caught up in one of these, once.  I had to get her out.  She had no idea it was happening under her nose.”

“When?”

“When? Oh, you mean when did I pull her out?  Belgrade.”

Nate closed his eyes.  “I thought you were working with someone then.”

Sophie sat back in her chair.  “You were in Belgrade?  I should have known.”

“IYS took a big loss on that one.”

“So, it’s probably the same crew.  It could even be the same girls.  I can check, but I have to have access to this photo to make sure.”

“If it makes this easier, then go for it.”

Sophie took the photo, faxed it and waited for an answer.  Over an hour later, she received it.  Nate had taken to answering phone calls and emails while she waited.  Tapping her foot nervously, she waited until her phone dinged.

“That’s them.  I’m not sure we can pull this off.”

“The great Sophie Devereaux is not sure she can pull off a con?”

Sophie sat down beside him on the sofa.  If she needed to get through Nate and his stubbornness to solving this, she’d have to be serious about it.  He was too cocky for his own good sometimes.

“I can.  The problem is can you?  The three of them could be piranhas.  My friend encountered two of them in Belgrade, and it damn near cost her life.  They play dirty, Nate.”

“I have faith in you.”

He had faith in her?  Where did that come from?  She could tell he was dead serious though, just by the look in his eyes.  No smirking, no head tilt, no wrinkling of his forehead.  There were no tells whatsoever that he did not take this seriously.

“Is he in danger?” Sophie asked.

“Possibly? They have poisoned their marks before.  One dead, two hospitalized.  The one in Belgrade?”

“Yes, well, that one didn’t end well.  My friend almost didn’t make it out alive.”

“Your friend was playing a dangerous game.  Just like you do.”

“Nate, I don’t have many friends.  The ones that I do, I know are loyal.  So if I tell you that this person did not deserve what she almost got, you have to believe me.”

Brushing his hand over his face, Nate sighed in agreement.  “I know.”

“So what are you thinking?”

“I go in as another internet millionaire.  You can be my…”

“Oh, so you want me to be your floozy?”

“Well, when you put it that way?”

Sophie lightly punched him on the arm.

“I hate these kinds of cons.”

“Might be fun.”

“For you.”

They planned into the night, agreeing to meet the next afternoon.  Sophie secured an invitation to a party that the mark was attending that night.  Arriving at Nate’s hotel room, she pulled her dress down a bit since it had ridden up on her walk from the elevator.  When he opened the door, he stood there, stunned into silence.

“When I meant floozy, I didn’t mean you shouldn’t wear clothes.”

The dress was low cut, short, with cutouts strategically placed all over to show the most skin without being indecent.  Well, mostly not indecent.  Since red was Nate’s favorite color on her, she elected to wear this one to get the full effect. 

“Ok, I guess that’s what we’re going for.”

She could tell that it made him very uncomfortable.  Closing the door behind her, she stood against it, knowing that she’d have to get his mind off her body and on to the con.

“You really need to focus, Nate.”

“I will.”

“No, you won’t.  I am an object in this con.  Not Sophie.  You need to treat me as such.  If you don’t, then the three will pick up on that.  You need to entice at least one of them to tell you her secrets.”

Nate sighed.  “How on earth am I supposed to do that?”

“You need to seduce one of them?”

“That was not part of the plan.”

He pulled away from the door, tugging at his tie.

“I know.  The plan was get close to the mark too, but that’s my job.  You need to do some distraction.  If one of them tells you anything, the better we will be able to prepare.”

“If they think I want to acquire one of his paintings under the radar, why won’t that work?”

“You get under one of their skins, it will give us the advantage.”

Nate paced in front of her, hoping that there was another way.

“I have an even better idea.  You do it.”

“Do what?  Oh, that might work.  Are you up for it?”

Nate grinned her way.  “I think your skills in this matter are a lot better than mine.”

She certainly agreed with that.  With those baby blues and a confidence streak a mile long though, he could certainly seduce one of them.

“Even better.  Double pronged approach.”

“Huh?”

“We hit the weakest link and do it together.”

Nate’s eyes went wide with that one.

“Seriously?”

Sophie smirked back.  “Absolutely.”

“Culling the herd?”

“This might work.  Then you won’t blow it.”

Taking her arm in his, he stopped and looked at her.  “Me?”

“Oh dear.  Just follow my lead.”

 


	3. The Grift

Chapter Three—The Grift

Sophie studied the three women from across the room. The two older ones were the ones that had tried to kill Tara in Belgrade.  One was Italian, long, dark, wavy hair, statuesque in height, obviously had work done, Sophie concluded. The second one was a redhead, much shorter, but with very blue eyes which must have been contacts, breasts enhanced too much.  The third one though, was the new player.  She was willowy, blonde, hair perfectly done, with just a wisp dangling down.  Her smile and her green eyes made her seem innocent. She seemed young too, much younger than her cohorts.  And she projected nervousness.  She’d be their way in.

Nate had already made his circuit of the room and had come back with their drinks.  She told him to play it aggressively, hands possessively on her as much as possible.  They wanted to seem like a pair that knew what they were doing.  Nate leaned down to place a kiss on her exposed shoulder, except he whispered to her instead.

“When should we go over for introductions?”

“I think we’ve made enough of an impression.  The Italian has been eyeing you like a piece of candy.”

Nate looked at her like she was crazy.

“In character, Nate.  Playboy it is.  Remember that.”

“Oh boy.”

Taking her hand in his, he slowly wandered over to the mark, James Weaver and his bevy of ladies.  Sophie tried not to shiver, but she couldn’t help it.  Nate’s hand on her exposed back probably didn’t help though.  He’d touched her more than he ever had in any of the prior years. 

“Weaver?” Nate called out.  “Jim Weaver?”

The mark turned as Nate called out.  The guy looked at him like he had no idea who Nate was.  That was good.  Let him keep guessing.

“Um yeah,” he said as Nate grasped his hand in a firm handshake.

“Frank Pierce.  Los Altos? You don’t remember?”

“No, sorry.”

“Those chips you wanted to buy?  I was involved in that deal.”

“Oh, yes.  OK.  I seem to remember that.”

Sophie had dug up that there was indeed a Frank Pierce who was involved in a deal with Weaver.  And he happened to look a little like Nate, although Nate was much better looking and a bit taller.  The ladies would do their research though, so she called in a favor and had one of her hackers make up some fake photos.  Any search would pull up Nate’s photo.

“Got out of the game, I heard?  Just in time.  I seemed to have the same luck.  I gotta tell ya, it was close.  I’ve been floating around Europe, partying and living the good life.  How about you?”

The three ladies looked bored, but Sophie could tell that they were studying Nate intensely. 

“Introduce me,” Sophie growled while hanging on to Nate.  She’d use her American accent for this con.

“Jenny Carter, meet Jim Weaver.”

“Oh, it’s James.  James Weaver.”

Well, he’d certainly changed his first name back to the proper one.  On every article that was on the internet, it was Jim.  To impress the ladies?

“Oh, gotcha.”

“Jimmy.  You’re adorable.”

Sophie knew she could get away with calling the mark whatever she wanted, especially since she reached over and caressed his face as she did.

“She’s something.  Met her in Prague.”

She always warned Nate that when you were playing a con, always use a bit of truth to it, so that you didn’t lie and couldn’t remember what you’d said.  They had met in Prague.  Made it easier to keep track.

“And who do we have here?” Nate asked, looking over every lady up and down like he wanted to bed them.

“Natasha (the redhead), Natalia (the Italian) and Serena (the blonde).”

“Pleasure,” Natalia said as she shook hands with Nate. Nate lingered on her a bit, sliding his hand through hers.  Oh boy, he was good, when he wanted to be. 

Leaning over, he placed a kiss on Natasha’s cheeks, looking down her dress as he did.  And with Serena, he ran his hand over her hip as he introduced himself.  Sophie thought that he had done an excellent job, probably too good.  She’d have to have a cold shower later if he kept going.

“The pleasure’s mine, ladies.”

“Been in town for long?” Weaver asked, pulling Nate away as he did.

“Not too long.  Jenny loves Tuscany.  I think she loves the shopping and the topless beaches, but nothing I can’t handle.”

Nate kept looking back at the ladies.  Only Serena looked down, like she didn’t want Nate’s prying eyes.  The other two smiled his way.

“You will have to tell me where you go those shoes, Serena?” Sophie finally asked, trying to pull Serena in.

“Oh, well, there’s this boutique in the south of France.”

“I know the one well.  I think the last time I was there, they had these lovely four inch high heels that I had to have.”

Serena shyly smiled back at Sophie, while the other two kept their eyes on Nate’s backside.  She had to keep character, she thought to herself.  Sophie couldn’t look too jealous of the two’s assessment of Nate.

“How long have you known Frank?”

“For a while now.  He keeps me in diamonds, and other things, if you know what I mean.”

Nate turned to look at her, eyes roving all over her body as he did.  He had to look the part of playboy and indeed did he.  Weaver did not look the least bit jealous.  Sophie guessed with three of them, there was plenty to go around.  And if she guessed correctly, they were eye candy for the most part.  He probably wasn’t bedding them all, just one on occasion.  Enough to keep him interested, but not enough to make them work for it.  That’s not the way it was set up in Belgrade.  Both had worked, enough that Tara had been drawn into something too dangerous to get out of.  Their skills weren’t just the grift or the seduction. 

“Let’s have dinner,” Weaver announced, obviously wanting to show off to Nate.

“Excellent.”

The six were off to the priciest place in Tuscany. Sophie purposely sat next to Weaver while Nate was next to her and Serena.  She’d be their way in.  The other two were professionals.  What did they have on Serena, Sophie thought?  There had to be something.

“You have a place here, Jimmy?” Sophie started as the appetizers came.

Nate busied himself with opening the wine, complimenting Serena as they all sat there conversing.

“Beautiful villa not far from here.  You must visit.”

Sophie smiled, caressing him with her eyes.  He ate it up.  That’s their problem, Sophie surmised.  The three didn’t know how to use their feminine wiles on him.  Yes, they were just eye candy.  But to work a mark, you had to actually engage him or her.  The other two just smiled her way, but she could tell they were annoyed with Sophie.

Nate’s attention though was what gathered the most interest from the other two.  Serena openly smiled at Nate as they quietly talked.  Reaching over, Sophie took his hand in hers, squeezing a little bit so he noticed the interest also.  Working his hand on her thigh, he squeezed back to acknowledge what he’d seen.  As Nate shifted closer to Serena, Sophie shifted closer to Weaver. 

Nate had called it the double pronged approach.  Prime the mark, prime the other grifter, then pull both of them in so that they could figure out how the other ladies had taken the Caravaggio.  They obviously thought they’d keep taking things from Weaver until the jig was up.

Bending over to get the wine, Sophie shined her smile to the other two.  If she charmed them too, then she’d have a bigger advantage.  They both looked their fill too, just as Nate did.  Placing her hand at the back of Nate’s neck, she noticed him sigh a bit as she did that.  She wanted to make sure that the three knew she had control over Nate and that they needed her permission to engage him in anything.

The dinner proved to be very beneficial, Sophie realized.  She could tell who the leader was and who they could seduce, if only for a short time.  Nate had taken to placing his hand on Serena’s thigh, working his way up until Sophie announced that it was time they took their leave.

“Too much?” Nate whispered to her as they waved their goodbyes.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think that Serena thinks you are adorable.  I can’t tell about Natasha and Natalia, but we’ll see.  They did like what they saw too.”

Nate took her hand and pulled her along until they got to back to the hotel room.

“I’m thinking that going both ways is in their repertoire.”

Sophie smiled up at him as he opened up the room.  Throwing the doors to the balcony open, Sophie breathed in the fresh air, if just to cool herself off.  She knew this would be a challenging con, but adding Nate to the mix, it made it near impossible.

“Weaver’s the only one I can’t get a good read on,” she said as she looked off into the distance at the lights twinkling.

“Oh he was affected by you.  Believe me,” Nate said directly behind her.

“Think that Serena is primed?”

“Something is off about her.”

Sophie turned to look at him.  “I was thinking the same thing.”

“They have something on her.  This isn’t what she normally does.”

Sophie was so glad they were on the same page.

“What is their hook?”

“She jumped when I put my hand on her thigh.”

“She did?”

“I almost blew it right there.”

“Oh, it has to be big then.  Up for some spying?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Both dressed in dark, easy to move around in clothes, they made their way to Weaver’s villa.  After watching what the occupants were doing for a few hours, Sophie waved him off.  As they were starting to leave, Nate noticed though Serena on a balcony, crying.

“I miss you,” they could hear the woman saying into her phone.

That was all that was said, but it told them so much.  Walking back to their room, Sophie stayed in the shadows and made sure that Nate did the same.  Their room was being watched, she noticed as they arrived back.  They had also booked the room next to the one where they were supposedly staying just in case.  Under a different name, whoever was watching wouldn’t know that.  They both slipped inside unnoticed.

“So that was an adventure,” Sophie sighed as they opened the door to the other room.

Nate signaled her to stay quiet as he swept the fake room for what looked like to be bugs.  Holding up a device on a tray of drinks that they had delivered earlier, he placed it his hands and put it on the table in front of him.  Sitting down on the sofa, Sophie gestured him over to sit beside her.

He turned his head to the side, wondering what was up with that.

“Oh, Frank. You shouldn’t have.  I cannot wait to try that out.”

And with that, Sophie started to moan, with a few giggles placed here and there.

“My dear, you are worth it,” he added.

Sophie kept up the sounds for a few more minutes, looking at her watch as she did.

“Dear, be a love and put that tray back outside.  And then come here.  I have a surprise for you.”

“Just as long as it doesn’t involve any clothes, then yeah.”

Sophie almost lost it when he said that, but went with it.  Nate put the bug back on the bottom of the tray and placed it back outside.  Sweeping the room one more time, he didn’t find anything else.  The both them opened the door to the room where they were actually staying, making sure that the windows and curtains were closed.

Sophie stood there with her hands on her hips, perplexed on why there was a bug.

“What the hell was that?” she whispered to Nate.

“Think they’re on to us?”

“They’re good.  Probably just trying to gather intel.  I just didn’t think they’d go that far.”

“Means they have an employee here on the payroll.”

“Maybe it’s a bigger operation than we thought?”

“How much does it cost for them to have someone here on payroll?”

“Not much.”

“Would it be something you’d pull?”

“Oh, of course.”

Nate paced back and forth.  He always did this while he was thinking.  Finally, Sophie could take it no more and put her hand out for him to stop.

“Sit.  You’re making me dizzy.”

Nate literally plopped down next to her, looking frustrated at the whole thing.

“Are we in over our heads?”

“Possibly.  They are good.  Not sure we can complete this in one week though.  It might take two or three.”

“They’re gonna be paying him within the week.  If we don’t prove that one of them stole it, then IYS will be out of the money.”

“Then we go and we go hard.  Serena.  She’s going to be yours.  I have to pull Weaver in.  The other two will be ready to explode.  Then we make sure they know we want something for them to get for us.  If they think we’re pulling a con, all the better.”

Nate’s blue eyes stood out against all the black that he was wearing.  The turtleneck and dark hair made him seem so young, but the look in his eyes made him look so ruthless. The combination made her shiver just a bit.  Their shoulders touched, hips just inches apart.

“Nate, they have to think we want something from Weaver’s collection.  All the better if Serena is enamored with you.”

“I guess that means we get an invite to Weaver’s then?”

“Exactly.  Don’t think that’ll be difficult.”

“Not with you and those eyes of yours, Soph.”

“Oh indeed.  I’m counting on it.”


	4. The Bait

Chapter Four—The Bait

The next day, Sophie rang Weaver to nudge an invite from him.  He took the bait, hook, line and sinker. 

“We’re in,” Sophie announced.

“I just wished we knew what was going on with Serena.”

“Nate, we can’t help everyone.  She’s in on this.  We know that.  Maybe if we discover what is up with the two N’s, then we can possibly get her out.  But that’s not why we are here.”

“I know.  The two N’s?”

“They should have decided on much different names.  Makes it more difficult to keep track of.”

Nate laughed a bit, knowing that Sophie was always careful with her names.  She built these personas very carefully, with backstory and months of preparation. She was a professional, for goodness sake.

Later on in the day, Sophie showed up with a new suit for Nate, hoping that he’d intrigue Serena even more than he did the night before.  She wanted him to seem nonchalant about his appearance, but looked moneyed.  She chose another red number for herself, but this one with the back opened, but the rest tight enough where she almost couldn’t breathe.  Weaver had to be hooked too, but not too much that the other ladies didn’t figure her out.  She would make a point to view the artwork with a studied eye too.  Nate here was the eye candy.  She thought about actually telling him so.

“Thank god, no tie tonight.”

“Well, darling, I wanted you to look just so.”

She unbuttoned him to make sure the other ladies looked his way, pulled and pushed and made sure his shirt was near perfect, his hair looked the way she wanted, and the jacket fit perfectly.  God, did he look yummy.

“Perfect.”

“I’m the bait, aren’t I?”

“Well, dear, you do look delicious.  Not sure how Serena is going to resist.  And the other two will be intrigued.  You do clean up nicely.”

“I feel so used,” he joked.

Slapping his ass, she walked to the door, her stride confident.  Let him get his fill of her in the room. She needed him focused and ready.

“Remember, in the end, you work for me.  Go get ‘im, tiger.”

“Oh great,” he grumbled.

 

Walking into the villa, all three ladies’ eyes were drawn to Nate as he stood with his hands in his pockets.  Not the look she would have asked him to go for, but that didn’t matter.  He was so different from Weaver.  And they’d probably done their research on him now.  Now they knew that he had lots of money, and had a shady past.  That was the persona she was attempting to project.

“Great to see you,” Weaver said as he led them to the drinks.

“Yeah, Jimmy,” Sophie complimented, looking around at all the artwork along the walls.

Oh dear, this man really did not know what he was doing.

Sophie traveled along the wall, studying the art like an expert.  Nate stood beside the other two ladies, talking to them, chatting with them as they watched Sophie.  Only Serena came up to her.  Hmm, that was curious, Sophie thought.  She would have thought one of the N’s would have done that.  Was that a mistake on their part figuring out Serena?

“He certainly has lots of art,” Sophie started out.

“Yeah.  Lots of nice pieces.”

“I’m partial to the impressionists, Degas.  I’m trying to convince Frank to acquire one for me.”

Sophie knew that Weaver did not have one in his collection.  But he certainly had other pieces that would fit the bill.

“He’d buy one for you?” Serena suspiciously asked.

“Oh, dear. I guess that’s how he’d acquire it.  I don’t ask those kinds of questions.  I’m just here for the beauty, if you know what I mean.”

Sophie pointedly looked at Serena, eyeing her up and down.  If Serena thought that both Nate and she were interested, then maybe one of them could get her to talk.

“Oh.  I don’t know enough about the art world.”

What was her hook?  It was driving Sophie crazy not knowing.

Both the N’s had gotten closer to Nate, enough to lift his wallet.  Not that Nate hadn’t anticipated it.  Everything that they carried around was for the con, even their phones.  Each was a burner.  If they tried to get any information from the phones, not much would show up.  Sophie saw out of the corner of her eye Natasha lift his wallet.  Well done, she thought.  Nate just smiled through the whole thing, knowing exactly what Natasha did.  Sophie had lifted his wallet enough that now he knew what it felt like when it happened.

Natalia kept her act up of making sure Weaver was happy, even stroking him across the back and head.  Oh, he was so programmed to her needs and her needs alone.  Sophie had dabbled into using neurolinguistic programming, she just never had the chance to use it.  Now she was watching it in action.  Weaver was primed.  She just hoped that Natasha wouldn’t try anything on Nate.  She’d have to warn him later.

“Well, I know a bit.  I guess I’ll just have to talk to Frank about what he wants to acquire.  He doesn’t know much either, but he sure does love spending his money on me.”

Sophie prefaced that statement with a smile and a giggle, like she knew she was taking the man for a ride.  Serena smiled back a bit, then turned her eyes to Nate and the others.  Nate’s hands had traveled down Natasha’s back, caressing it just like he did with her.  Dammit, she really wanted to not feel jealous.  They were running a con on con artists.  Their arsenal had to be wide and varied.  She knew Nate would never take it further than what he was doing now.  Sophie just hoped she didn’t have to pull him out of a dicey situation.

“James isn’t exactly stingy either.”

“What’s the biggest thing he’s ever bought for you?” Sophie inquired.

“Oh, a car.”

A car?  Why on earth would he buy her a car?  What the hell, Sophie thought.  She’d ask.

“A car?  That’s it?”

“Well, I needed a car.  That was when we were in Texas.  He lives there part time.  That’s where his company is based.”

“Is that where you met him, dear?”

“Yeah.  It is.”

In over her head, Sophie thought.  Was she recruited because she was a fellow Texan or because she was vulnerable?

“I met Frank in Prague.  Something I’ll never forget.”

“Yeah, um, James.  I met him in my office.”

“Office?”

“I worked in his company.”

Shit. She worked for him?

“How on earth did you convince him to take you all over the world?”

“Um, I don’t know.  Just yeah.  Fun, isn’t it?”

“Immensely,” Sophie almost growled as she watched Nate almost being devoured by the two N’s.  He was losing the battle with the two vixens.

“And those two?”

“They do that.  Not sure why.  I keep telling them to go slow and they don’t listen.  Your man, he’s quite the looker.”

Oops, Sophie thought.  And that’s where you screwed up, Serena.  Now that was not what she saw coming.  One of the N’s had to be the ringleader, Sophie had surmised.  Only with what Serena was saying, she was.  The car, the working in his office, maybe that was her long con, but Serena was indeed a grifter, just like she was. 

“How much you take him for so far?  I bet if you work hard enough, there could be a million dollar payout?”

And Serena flipped on a switch.  She was sure that Serena probably was from Texas.  Always use the truth, Sophie had told Nate.  Made it easier not to screw up.

“Oh, so much more than that.  He has no idea.  Plus, he’s actually fun to be around, in and out of bed.  He’s shrewd investing his money so he’s built it from millions to hundreds of millions.  Just prime for the picking.”

Serena’s eyes lit up with that.  Then she toned it down, now knowing what to do with him.

“Which piece do you think he wants?  I can get him any number of pieces from Weaver.  Or I have a supplier where I can acquire exactly what he wants.”

Oh, and it just kept getting deeper.  Serena had suppliers.  Long cons, many girls, suppliers.  That’s why in Belgrade it seemed like everywhere Sophie turned, she couldn’t get Tara out.  They had an extensive network. Gave grifters like her a bad name.

“I want to acquire the piece, have it forged, then sell the original.  So not only do I get him to acquire something I want to forge, I get all the profits from the sale.  He puts up the money, I get all the profit.  He’s none the wiser.”

Sophie signaled Nate that she had the hook and that he could back off.  They just didn’t want to be working at cross purposes.

“Oh dear, he’s looking a bit cross with me.  I told him I’d not go off and not speak with him.  He gets rather grumpy.”

Approaching Nate, she rubbed up against him and pulled his head down for a quick kiss.  Nate closed his eyes a moment, like he was enjoying what she did. Only he grabbed at her backside just as she moved.

“Did I say you could move?” he grumbled back to her.

“Of course, darling.”

She could see how sweet Serena was looking at Nate, with those wide eyes and innocent ways of hers.  If only Nate knew.

Dinner went well, but before dessert, Nate pulled her aside.  She had managed to tell him that all was not as it seemed.  Now she could actually talk to him.  Ushering him out onto a balcony, she worked her hand up his jacket and yanked his head down.  Patting him down, she found a bug inside his pocket along with his replaced wallet and a button cam on his jacket.  Nate leaned his head down so she could whisper to him without being heard.

“Serena is the leader.  Ruthless.  Watch your step.”

Nate’s eyes went wide, but Sophie covered by dragging his head to hers, crushing her lips to his.  Keep them guessing, she thought.

“Leave in twenty?”

“More like fifteen.  Dangerous.”

As Nate traced her ear with his tongue, Sophie wondered if she’d be able to hold out that long.  God, he was playing a good game.  Gasping for air, he thrust his hand into her hair, exposing her neck to his mouth.

“Um, excuse me? Dessert.”

So innocent, Sophie thought.  Serena had it down pat.  Nate winced as he looked at her, playing the part of interrupted man.

“Yeah, we uh, are gonna get going.  I have lots of work to do.”

She watched as he swallowed as he said this, which meant his work only had to do with Sophie.  Her Jenny was good, very good this time.

Jenny smirked her way, Serena blushing as she did.  Oh god, this woman was a professional.  She’d give her that.  Making their excuses of an early morning, Nate and Sophie left, hand in hand.  As they walked through the quiet streets, Nate kept touching her in different places, knowing that someone was again following them.  Right outside their hotel, Nate pulled her into a dark doorway to throw the tail off if just a bit.  Wrapping her up, it looked as if two lovers were having a tryst. 

“What does our tail look like?”

“Possibly Natalia.  She’d blend in the most here.  Nate, they are too good.”

“Weaver is in deep trouble.”

“I know.”

“Maybe we should turn this over to the authorities?”

“And tell them what?  Three gorgeous women are trying to kill him, take all his artwork and money?”

“Yeah, no proof.”

“Directly behind us, across the street.”

Yanking Sophie’s head back, Nate’s mouth traveled down her throat, giving her a better visual on their tail.

“Natalia.  I was right.”

“Let’s go inside.”

They dodged their tail enough to get inside the fake room.  Sophie turned to a porn channel, turned it down low just so if there was a bug in that room again, they’d hear vague groaning and moaning while she and Nate planned in the next room.

“Seriously?” Nate complained as he entered the room behind her.

“What?  I wanted to make it look good,” she mouthed back.

“Sound good, you mean.”

“So fake.”

Nate’s eye went wide as he looked at the screen.

“Enough.  The other room.  Now.”

As quietly as they could, both entered the other room and shut out the scene next door.  Nate pulled at his jacket, looking a little flushed at either the porn or the fact that he was next to either her or the other two beauties all night.  Yanking out a bottle of whiskey, he poured a generous amount for himself and gestured to her how much she might want.

“Oh, whatever.  I need a drink.”

Neither had drank much at the villa.  Both had realized early on that it would be best to keep their wits about them.  These three were dangerous to the nth degree.

“Called that one wrong.”

“There’s still something going on, behind the scenes that Serena does not want us to know.”

“Lover on the sidelines possibly?  Does she have a boss? And why Weaver?”

“That’s it.  I know what they’re after.”

Nate flipped through his paperwork, stopping on Weaver’s work history.

“He has a patent.  On a significant piece of technology.  I should have seen it sooner.  If they get their hands on the patent, then they could take over his company.”

“This isn’t about stolen artwork.  Espionage?  Nate, didn’t you do your research?”

“I did.  Only it didn’t occur to me that they might be after something intangible.  It’s a piece of paper.  If he transfers it over to any of them, then his company is theirs,” Nate explained.  “He wouldn’t do that.”

“Yes, he will.  If his buttons are pushed the right way.  One of the N’s has him primed. Neurolinguistic programming.  So they clean him out of all the artwork, his money, then his company.  He’d be destitute.  No shame.  When I work, I only go for pieces that can be replaced.  Not all this cloak and dagger stuff.”

“He’s set to introduce the tech next week in Geneva.  I should have seen this.  I didn’t see the connection.”

Nate dropped down onto the bed.  Sophie decided to join him, toeing off her expensive pumps as she did.

“So where do we go from here?  Tell him he’s about to be taken for everything?  How are they going to do it?”

“They could kill him and take the tech or they could just steal the tech and discredit him.  Both have their merits.”

“People really do suck.”

“I need a shower.  Just thinking about those two touching me.” Nate shivered as he said this.

“I didn’t think you had it in you, Nate.”  He turned his head to look at her.  “You could play my side, easily.  You were a pro in there.”

“Not sure I like that compliment, but I’ll take it.”

Nate left her there, dress sticking to her, feet hurting, brain running a mile a minute.  She should have expected that this group would run a con like this.  The one that Tara had gotten involved in was complex too.  And here she thought it was just artwork. 

Nate came out of the bathroom soon after, hair wet.  Reaching back, Sophie attempted to undress right in front of him.

“Wait?  Aren’t you going back to your room?”

“Good luck getting through the gauntlet.  I’m sure they have someone watching at all times now.  I have enough clothes to last until tomorrow.  I’ll slip out in the morning.  Just help me unzip.  I’ll not ruin you, if that’s what you mean.”

Sophie held her breath as he slowly unzipped the back of her dress.

“You don’t have anything on underneath this, do you?”

“Very little.”

Nate blew a breath out and turned so he couldn’t prove what she’d just said.  Grabbing her bag, she entered the bathroom and quietly closed the door.  After changing and coming out of the room, she watched as Nate curled up on the sofa.  Here we go again, Sophie thought.

“It’s a king, and I won’t bite.  Nate, come on.  I’m tired.  You’ll sleep horribly on that thing.”

Nate rolled his eyes at her, but realized that she was right.  He wasn’t tempted.  Or was he?  Something she’d have to think about later. She certainly was tempted.

Settling down on opposite sides of the bed, Sophie rolled to look at him.

“I am not like you,” he whispered as he looked at her.

“You have to be, if just a little.  There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I’m an honest man.”

Sophie smiled a little at that.  In her world, there were no honest men and very few honest women.  Sure, he’d come close to being an honest man, very close.  The one thing though that he wasn’t honest about was his feelings, and that would never happen. He was loyal to his family, to a fault.

“There are no honest men, but if there was one, you’d be close.”

“Thanks, Sophie.  For everything.”

With that, he rolled the opposite way and settled down.  It would take her some time and fidgeting before she drifted off to sleep.  In the early morning hours, she found him again next to her, arm around her middle, breath against her neck.  Drifting back, he must have moved because when she awoke again, he was up and dressed.


	5. The Finish

Chapter Five—The Finish

“Let’s finish this,” Nate announced as they headed to Weaver’s villa.

“They certainly have Weaver tied up in knots.”

Nate had been working all day, receiving faxes, on the phone and on his computer.  He had obviously made progress.  As they sat earlier discussing what to do with Serena, Nate’s computer pinged.

“Ah, and there it is.  One of my friends in law enforcement figured out who Serena is.”

He turned the computer to show Sophie Serena’s mug shot.

“She’s wanted for what?  This is not good.”

“Now I see why your friend got into so much trouble.  She’s slipped through Interpol’s fingers too many times.”

Nate looked too smug for his own good.

“You have a plan?”

“I sent her mug shot to every police organization in the area and told them where to find her.”

“Nate, I cannot be anywhere near her if anything goes down.”

“Give me credit.  We just have to keep her busy until they arrive.”

“That should be easy.”

Sophie dressed a bit more conservatively, while Nate’s suit still worked with what they had planned.  Arriving at the villa, it seemed like business as usual.  They didn’t have to take a mark for millions.  They just needed to wait until the authorities showed up.  She trusted Nate to get her out of there before anyone recognized her.  Getting put in jail by Interpol would ruin her day.

When they entered Natalia pulled her aside, gesturing that she wanted to show Sophie another painting that Weaver had acquired.  Only Weaver was nowhere in sight.  Were they attempting to divide and conquer? Sophie would be ready, but would Nate?

Serena took Nate’s elbow and led him into the dining room ahead of her.  Natasha wasn’t anywhere near either.  Something was definitely wrong.

“Serena wants to know which one.  Weaver is busy with Natasha, so now we can deal, no?”

Sophie turned her head to look at the dark haired woman.  Yes, she wanted to do business with Sophie.  She just wanted to make sure that the woman wouldn’t also want her dead.

“I’m not sure.  Also, I am dealing only with Serena.”

“She’s busy.”

“With my mark,” Sophie emphasized.

“Hey, if she can get more out of him, the better.”

“Haven’t you heard of no poaching?”

And this was exactly what happened to Tara in Belgrade.  The two vixens had attempted to poach her mark right out of her grasp.  Then when Tara had protested, they tried to get rid of her, in more ways than one.  The bribes that Sophie had to pay to the local authorities in addition to the gunshot wound to Tara’s shoulder had been a good indication of how far this crew would go. She’d warned Nate, who took it under advisement.  They just had to wait until the authorities showed up.

“Where’s Weaver?” Sophie asked as they walked around Weaver’s collection.

“You don’t need to know that.”

“I do if I want to get out of here without his knowledge that I took one of his paintings.”

“He’s been taken care of,” Natalia announced.

Was Weaver dead or just incapacitated?  It looked to her that the crew had decided to ramp up their time schedule.  The meeting that Weaver had was scheduled for the next day.  Sophie guessed that they decided not to wait.

“I don’t deal with flunkies.”

Sophie really didn’t think Natalia would do anything to her at the moment, so when her fist connected with Sophie’s cheek, it was indeed a surprise.  She needed to get to Nate now.  Both of them were in danger.  Sophie realized that she really wanted Nate’s law enforcement friends to show up sooner than later. 

 

Natalia pulled her into the dining room where Serena had wrapped herself around Nate.  Nate was doing his best to fight off her advances, but wasn’t winning.  Once he saw that Sophie was bleeding, then he shoved Serena hard against the table. 

“What the hell is going on?” he yelled.

“She’s trying to con you.  We really wanted to tell you about this last night, but there never was the opportunity.”

“You’re lying.  Let her go.”

Weaver then entered the room, being pushed from behind by Natasha.  Sophie saw the gun at Weaver’s back before Nate did, because Nate took it upon himself to go for Natalia.  It wasn’t until Natasha’s shot went wide that Nate stopped his forward progress.

“Got the papers?” Serena asked Natasha.

“Everything is signed and officially notarized.”

“Let’s tie up the loose ends.”

“What?  We can’t take the pretty boy with us?”

Sophie almost crossed her eyes at that.  Nate was not even close to being a pretty boy.

“Sorry, Frank. It’s just business.”

Natasha turned the weapon on Nate first, probably realizing he was the one to make a fuss with actually being shot.  Only Weaver did something Sophie never thought possible.  He managed to knock the weapon out of Natasha’s hands.  Since it landed closest to Sophie, she dove and picked it up, aiming it for Serena.

“Oh good.  I’m saved.  You don’t understand what they’ve put me through.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Serena.  Or whatever your name is.  Is it Mora or Delia?  Or do you go by Amanda?  I couldn’t get that straight.”

Oh, Nate to the rescue.  Sophie kept her eyes trained on all three.  As gently as he could, Nate took the weapon out of Sophie’s hands and made sure that the three were still not going to move.

“She’s scamming you, Frank,” Serena begged.

“Nah.  She’s helping me.”

“Sophie Devereaux doesn’t help people,” Serena shot back.

Sophie eyed her up and down, realizing that the woman was even better than she thought.

“Get out of here, Soph.”

“Are you sure?”

Off in the distance, she could hear car doors closing.  That must be Nate’s backup.

“Weaver, stay out of trouble,” Sophie said as she quickly exited the room. 

Slipping out the back, she saw from a distance at least five more police pull up.  They’d timed it just right in so many ways.  Making her way back to her room, she packed hurriedly, not stopping to change.  She’d ring Nate when she was away from the scene of the crime.  No use in putting herself in harm’s way.

Two days later, when the law enforcement presence died down, Sophie returned, if just to make sure Nate wrapped everything up.  She knew that he probably did from the vague call he’d made a few hours after, but she wanted to make sure for herself.  Serena and her gang were bad for business.

Settling herself on Nate’s bed, she waited for him to return.  It was late into the evening when he did.  His tie was pulled down, it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a while. And it looked as if he’d had a few drinks.  That didn’t matter to Sophie.  He was fine, she thought.  That was enough for her.

“Thought that you left,” he announced as he saw the figure on his bed.

Sophie had neglected to turn on the lights, so the room was dark, except for the moonlight coming through the windows.

“Just had to make sure you didn’t muck it up,” she yawned.

“Ye of little faith.”

“Yes, well, those three were giving grifting a bad name.  Just cleaning up the riff raff.  Serena behind bars?”

“Her whole crew, including her own mother.  Seems that’s where she learned the business.  The phone call on the balcony was to her mother.  Takes all kinds.”

Nate laughed a bit at that and sat down at the foot of the bed.  Handing her a glass that he was carrying, she took a sip of whatever it was he was drinking.

“Bringing the bar back with you?”

“They won’t miss a glass.”

“Why so glum?”

“Just, nothing.  I was supposed to be home a few days ago.”

Oh, and now the drinking made a bit more sense.

“When are you leaving?”

“A few days.  I have to wrap everything up.  Weaver’s stuff is taking a bit longer to secure.  Ian only trusted me to do this.  We found the Caravaggio, by the way.”

“Good,” she said as she handed the glass back to him.

Getting up, Nate headed to the bottle that was sitting on the table.  Pouring himself another generous portion, he stood to his side, letting Sophie just look at him.  In profile, maybe he was a pretty boy, she thought.  Only with the scruff and look on his face, she recognized that wasn’t something she’d never mistake him for.  With the years for him came the understanding that his job was making him wearier, more hardened to the world at large. 

When she’d met him, he seemed to be so young and carefree.  Now, after seven years of him chasing her, after seven long years on the road for him, he was burning out.

Standing up, Sophie straightened her dress and hair, slipping her shoes back on to leave Nate to his musings.

“You should go home, Nate.”

“Maybe I don’t want to.”

“You don’t believe that, for one moment.”

“Out here, I know who I am.  Back there, it’s like I’m living a lie.  The nice, little family with the car and the house and the yard.”

Sophie put her hand on his shoulder to tell him that she was there for him.

“When I’m here, with you, it feels so different.  I’m alive.”

“It’s just the adrenaline, Nate.  That’s all.”

Even in the darkness of the room, she could see the blue of his eyes.  He said it all with his eyes.  The look he gave her was longing, for something she didn’t think she could give him, ever.

“You run.”

“You chase,” she completed.

Leaning into her, he buried his head into her hair.  This cannot be happening, Sophie surmised.  He could not do this.  She wouldn’t let him.

She could feel his lips on her neck now, like he was searching for something.  She definitely was not it.  But she didn’t want to stop him.  It felt too good.  Not like the con they had just pulled, with him and his hands all over her. This felt real.

Nate raised his head, breathing heavily as he looked down into her eyes.  Dammit, she thought.  He really needed to stop looking at her like that.

“Sophie,” he breathed out.

Grabbing the back of his head, she dove in for a kiss, if just to say goodbye to him.  Being around him was too much.  Her wants and needs always had to be put on the backburner when she was around him.  Always.

Pulling away from him, she closed her eyes, wanting him to disappear so she could walk out of that room unscathed.  Digging his hands into her hair again, he walked her over to the bed where she fell back.  He immediately was on top of her, hands working up the hem of her dress.  She had to stop him before he took it any further.  He stopped his hands from roving, lowering his head next to her. 

“I can’t,” he whispered to her.

Rolling him off, she grabbed her shoes and quickly walked away. 

Looking back, she could see him bury his head into a pillow, like he was screaming out his frustration so no one else could hear.  She wouldn’t be his downfall, his crutch, his way to cheating on his way of life.

 

If temptation had a look, a word, it would have Sophie Devereaux in the comment section.  She’d tempted more men and women for that matter, than she ever thought possible.  The one thing she regretted doing though was tempting Nathan Ford.  He almost took her bait, but they both pulled back in the end.  She was certain, mostly certain, that he never would follow through on it.

He didn’t that night in Tuscany.  It was a close thing, but he had stopped what he was doing, luckily.  She never wanted to be his downfall.

It had been ten years of him on the road, him sacrificing his time with his child, him burying his child and his marriage, for him to come to this point in time.  He stood before her now, more stripped down emotionally than she’d ever seen him.

He was thinner, eyes haunted as he looked at her in that alley.  Would she join his band of misfits to solve a problem?  She’d been out of the game for a while now, right after he left and his son had died.  She needed something, what right now she did not know.  With him standing directly in front of her, three other figures off in the distance, Sophie felt that this was her fate.  He was a thief now.  And she wasn’t, at least for the time being. 

“Are you in?”

Sophie eyed him up and down.  One last chance to work with Nathan Ford?  Of course she was in.

“I wouldn’t miss this.”

Of course she wouldn’t miss this.  Nate smiled a little, the look of a man lost in this world.  She’d help him find himself.  She owed him that.


End file.
